Shadow of a Blade
by SwordOfFlames
Summary: A story of a girl with no past... The answer to her past lies in the future, and what Kara does in it. I suck at summaries but the story is better, I promise you.
1. The Battle Begins

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You hear me? NOTHING! You've got nothing against me, bro.

Note: First fanfic, eh? Going to be a good one? Probably not, but who cares? Just stick yourself in and enjoy the show!

Shadow of a Blade

The steady dripping of rainfall woke me.

_Drip. Drip._

I got up to my feet, easing my stiff back. The job of a soldier may be an honorable one, but certainly not a comfortable one. No matter, no point in dilly-dallying when you have a job to do.

I sighed. Surely there was a better way? But my determination still pushed on. I had a job to do.

"Kara!" shouted a familiar voice along the hallway. They didn't really care about privacy; the whole barrack was just a hallway with the occasional pillow.

"Coming, Mark…" I grumbled. _Maybe I'll grab some food on the way…_ I thought. I checked myself in a mirror, my piercing blue eyes staring back at me. The army had quite a strict dress code, and more than once a person had been "accidentally" stabbed for violating it. They were more violent than me, though Mark jokes it's not possible.

Mark has been my friend since I joined this terrible army; we met at the training area on the Initiation Test. It was disastrous. For the other recruits, at least. I had been teased because they thought a girl didn't belong on the battlefield. Needless to say, they had a pretty bad day.

I jogged past all the recruits, most sleeping, some not ("Ouch, my foot!") and met him at the entrance to the barracks.

"Geez, you took forever!" he complained.

"Well than forever takes quite a short time doesn't it?" I replied irritably.

"Whatever" he said hastily, "We're needed on the battlefield, they found a camp of several Pheraen troops and they need a shock force, and luckily," Mark rolled his eyes "We were chosen"

No matter how many times I told myself it was necessary, the idea of killing still made my stomach churn.

I let my hand fall to my side and rest on my blade, _Kyofu_, a thin, long katana. I unsheathed it and looked at it sadly. So many had fallen under its edge, but every time I felt like it was killing me instead. I sheathed it again and asked "When does the raid start?"

A large explosion and a feeling of burning heat seared into my skin as it knocked me into the ground.

"Well" he said sarcastically "When do you think?"

"Oh shut up with the sarcasm already!" I shouted over the explosions as I drew my sword. I checked the area, and counted about a dozen mages. Perfect, easy bait.

_You'll regret it later_…

I shoved that thought aside. _Who invited you into my head anyways?_

I leapt through the air, brandishing _Kyofu_ in a wide arc. We usually fought to cripple, then take back to base for interrogation. At least those were our orders, sometimes I thought it would be kinder to slice their heads off.

Ew. Gory thoughts.

Checking behind me, I slashed _Kyofu_ blindly at first, then applied a reverse side cut. I felt more than one body get impaled.

Mark was behind me, spearing people with his…spear. Bad pun. Must work on that later.

Adrenaline surged through me. This is what I was born to do.

"_Fimbulvetr!_" someone shouted behind me and I felt an icy wind tear through me, leaving me completely winded on the ground.

As the battle raged on behind me, I realized two things.

It smelled of sweat down here.

If I didn't get up soon, I'd be screwed.

I leaped to my feet and looked around. A few mages, 2 cavaliers, and one Armor Knight. Nothing we couldn't handle. Dashing forward, I slid under them, cutting the weak spot in the Armor Knights armor. Conveniently, it was also in a very painful place, and I heard a multitude of extremely…colorful language.

I got to my feet and took a deep breath. It did not smell good down there.

Then I felt a hard, blunt pain in my back and that's all I remembered.

Note: So first chapter done! WOOT! Well anyway please leave good long reviews; I don't care if it's good or bad! This one took like 5 minutes, I promise the next one will be longer!


	2. The Fortress

Shadow of a Blade

I examined my cell for about the millionth time. Still boring stone, no taste in decoration.

It had been about 2 or 3 days since I had been locked up in this god-forsaken cell. My diet consisted of a scrap of meat and water. Ironically, this is more than we got in the army.

Locked up in a cell for days, I had a lot of time to think, and I had a lot of rebellious/violent thoughts about what I would do to the fools who locked me up. Not good for my psyche, but definitely satisfying.

If I ever got out of here, it would not be pretty.

Psychotic thoughts aren't so far away now. I think I'm going insane.

_I need to get out of here_

"Sure thing, as soon as I GROW A PAIR OF WINGS AND FLY!" I shout out loud

_Good thinking. You may need them._

I growl in frustration. That's me, Kara. Schizophrenic on the best of days, multiple-personalitied on the worst.

Just then, the door to my cell opened. Interrupting much?

Flanked by two Armor Knights with Silver Lances was a certain red-haired youth. He was about the same age as me, tall and clearly a warrior.

I found myself facing the future Marquess of Pherae.

"Lord" Roy.

I scowled and narrowed my eyes. This has got to be some kind of trick.

I expected honey-talk, persuasion, all that good stuff.

Instead, he snickered and said "Well look who dropped in…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I would make a remark, but it seems" I gestured to the knights "I'm in no condition to do that. So fire away, Prince Boy"

He looked at me, almost as if he was amused. "Well it seems you've already made a remark, so…"

I glared at him. "So what."

He glared back. "So you're to fight."

"Tonight. At midnight."

I can't believe the nerve of him. Challenging me like some cheap entertainment? Who does he think he is?

Oh. Right.

Well maybe he does have right to do that…but I still object!

After he said that, he just made a pompous exit as I lay there with my mouth open wondering whether strangling someone would help.

It probably would. Anyways, the people around here probably deserve it.

I really hope it's the cell and not me that's reeking.

I consider the time. I can just barely see through a small window. It seems about 1:00ish.

In the morning…

I can't stand this. I'm breaking out.

Note to self: Hitting stone walls does not break them. More research is required.

I was analyzing the cell again, when I had an idea.

I looked at my nails. I had reinforced one with cold iron, just in case.

I looked at the door, which consisted of bars, and my nail.

Door, nail, door, nail.

Door, file.

Ah I'm so gonna break a nail…

A few hours later I had one bar gone, enough for me to slip through. I chuckled to myself as I raced down the hallway.

Who says violence isn't the answer?

I reached the end of the dark hallway when two guards started patrolling down it.

I ran in the other direction, hoping the torchlight wouldn't alert them to my presence.

Luckily, they walked past the cell I was hiding in.

Unluckily, the cell has a rotting skeleton in it. It seemed to be baiting me.

"Shut up, Mr. Boney. I don't have time for games."

All it did was grin.

I finally made it out of the building and looked around.

Apparently it was a stone fortress, hexagonal, with a building in the middle with 2 walls outside of it, reinforced with iron spikes at the top.

A bit gothic, don't you think? They have got to get a better interior decorator.

Armor knights and regular swordsmen walked around. I saw a few fighting to stay awake. Jackpot!

Sneaking in the shadows, I managed to make it behind a guard sitting at a table near the wall, just so the shadows were over him.

Sneaking up on him, I delivered a quick, firm jab to the exposed neck. He went out like a light.

A regular iron sword was in his scabbard. I took it and dashed back to the main building.

If I got out of here, I would only be discredited for not finding out more about the enemy.

I was about to rush inside, when a sign caught my attention.

It said, "LAUS CASTLE FORTRESS. INTRUDERS WILL BE STABBED"

Oh, so it WASN'T their fortress.

I assumed they were still here. It was a war, after all.

Personally, I think the war is stupid.

Apparently the heir to the throne of Caelin, some girl named Lyn, left the throne like 20 or 30 years ago. With no relatives or direct heir, the surrounding territories went into turmoil, fighting over who would control Caelin. Ostia and Pherae tried to use trickery to get Caelin and eventually control all of Lycia. That's the reason I'm fighting, because it would be disasterous if those sneaky territories controlled Lycia.

Fighting in a war will stop any more war, that's why I fight.

Roy was the worst, though. Initially Pherae was a friend to Santaruz, the territory I serve, but then he did this sort of black magic dabbling with Dragons. After that, it was rumored he was a terrible tyrant, kidnapping people and executing them if they didn't have information.

I charged into the main building, running past cells and offices and living quarters.

Eventually, I found that at the center of the building was a training area.

And Roy was in it, looking at me expectantly. He seemed amused, like he knew that I was coming.

God, I hate that face.

"So…" He started saying, "I assume you are here to assassinate/capture me?"

I nodded once, and got into a ready position.

He seemed unfazed, walking around the arena and touching the shrubs occasionally.

"I'd like to ask you something, before one of those options occurs."

Oh sure. NOW he's Mr. Polite.

Then he fixed me with a steely glare.

"Do you know who your parents are?"

I stare at him. I shake my head dumbly.

He looks at me with apprehension.

We stay like that for a while, then he clears his throat.

"Well, you should keep your promises" says Roy.

"What do you m-AGH!"

I yell as he charges at me with a rapier he drew from inside his cloak.

Midnight.

I have one thought as we fight, our swords clashing like rivers of steel.

_Does he know who my parents are?_

Note: Well I worked a bit longer on this one. I'm a bit worried, like sometimes I think I don't describe the settings much. Anyways, please review!


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